LGIDTECH WL-Box2 Miboxer Gateway hub (Upgrade Version of WL-Box1)

US stock is now WL-Box2. I just purchased the WL-Box2 after using several WL-Box1 gateways for 4 years (still working great, just wanted to upgrade).The WL-Box2 is far superior to the old WL-Box1.New features:* 100 zones instead of 4. 16 can be named.* Link/unlink lights now available in Tuya app.* Better color control in Tuya app.* Full dynamic light control in Tuya app.* All other settings available in Tuya app.* Miboxer app is no longer needed.* Scenes can now be light zone specific.* Much more scene possibilities are now available in Tuya app.I like that all features are now available in the Tuya app. I no longer need the Miboxer app to link/unlink lights, which was a pain. These boxes only work with 1 app at a time, so previously, with the WL-Box1, I had to register the Miboxer app with the box when I wanted to link/unlink, then re-register the box to the Tuya app when done. The Miboxer app is now completely obsolete. This is a huge improvement.Alexa integration is the same, in that the WL-Box2 is seen as 1 device by Alexa. However, in the Tuya app, you can now create Tap-to-Run scenes that are zone specific scenes. For example a scene called "Dim Sink Lights" can dim the lights on zone 1, while "Dim Dining Lights" can dim lights on zone 2. So even though Alexa sees the WL-Box2 as 1 device, Alexa can see the scenes you create in Tuya that each work with different light zones. So, using scenes in Tuya, Alexa can controll all 100 different zones of lights that are available on the WL-Box2. This was not possible on the WL-Box1. This is a fantastic feature.The new WL-Box2 Tuya app interface is far superior to the old WL-Box1 interface, which was very basic, letting you set the color, turn lights on/off, set some timers/schedules, and that was it. For all other featuree, you needed the Miboxer app. The new Tuya interface for the WL-Box2 is complete, supporting all features of the box.The new Tuya scene creation lets you create scenes to control light zone specific brightness, color temperature, and on/off state of lights on a zone. There is unfortunately no way to control RGB color. So you can't make the lights red using a scene. The ability to select the zone is a huge plus, but the loss of being able to select an RGB color is a step down from the WL-Box1. For me, I don't use scenes typically for RGB mode, so I can live with this. I'd rather have the zone function than the RGB function for scenes. Still, this loss of functionality is dissapointing. I hope this is addressed with a future Tuya app update.Overall, I am very happy with the WL-Box2. It's highly recommended.OLD REVIEW FOLLOWSNote: Below is the origonal review for the WL-Box1 which has been replaced by the far superior WL-Box2.The new WL-Box1 replaces the older iBox 2 version. I had the iBox 2, and it kept getting stuck every few days, and needed to be rebooted. So I purchased the WL-Box1 to replace it.The WL-Box1 units are completely reliable so far. I haven't had any problems with them. I currently have 2. They seem rock solid.Here are the main differences between the older iBox 2 version and the newer ML-Box1:* WL-Box1 works with Alexa and Google Home. The iBox 2 did not directly, but it was possible using 3rd party apps.* WL-Box1 has no known public API currently. The iBox 2 does, so you can create your own apps to control it.* WL-Box1 seems much more reliable. The iBox 2 would get stuck periodically and needed a reboot.NOTE: I use Android, and the Miboxer app is NOT currently found on Google Play. It's been removed for some reason. So you have to visit the Miboxer web site futlight.com and get the Android Miboxer app there.IMPORTANT: The WL-Box1 DOES NOT WORK WITH THE MI-LIGHT APP. You need to use the new Miboxer app that replaces it.So far I am loving this new WL-Box1. Everything is working 100% of the time. No issues at all. The only downside is that there's no public API for it, but I do have Alexa voice control setup for it, so I can do some customizations using Alexa, but it's no longer possible to create a PC app to control the Mi-Light lights because there's no public API for it. Since the older iBox 2 version is so unreliable, I will not be using it anymore. I need things 100% reliable, so for now I'm sticking with the WL-Box1.

The old bridge allowed you to just connect it to your home wifi (via a web interface over a tempoary network) and you could immediately start controlling your light bulbs over your home network.This new version makes you download their phone app, REGISTER an account with them, sign away all sorts of privacy rights, THEN set up your bridge. No bridge, no bulb control.There's no longer a developer API, so it's not even clear if it is even possible to integrate this with locally-running home automation software like the old bridges (including the version 4 bridge I already own). Sorry, I don't want Google or Apple or anyone else halfway around the world having anything to do with me turning on a light bulb. I also don't want to be at the mercy of some company's economic viability, Internet connectivity, ethics, or security practices just to use the devices I'm already paying for.This is going back to Amazon, and I will no longer be buying any more products from MiLight, LimitlessLED, EasyBulb, FutLight, MiBoxer, or whatever other name they operate under next.

The ability to create a scene in which the bulb changes color or uses the mode change is not possible. It offers only control of white bulbs. This issue should be resolved. The app says it’s up to the manufacturer

This is the new(er) 2.0 version of the iBox without the new(est) built in light up globe the latest model has. I didn't want the big light up globe and figured this would be fine. I have it plugged into my actual router/modem that has a USB power output option on the back so install is pretty clean and out of the way/sight. The app is a little tricky to get setup to your network but it only took me about 5 minutes to have it up and running. My only complaint is app related... I wish the app showed if the linked zones of bulbs are actually ON or OFF. When your away from home you cant look to see if the light is on so your just guessing something is actually happening while flipping the virtual light switches on your phone. *Hopefully* they can add that into a software update. I also have a physical remote to control the several linked zones of bulbs and that works great too. Linking your phone to the box as well as a remote at the same time seems to work just fine so you don't have to re-calibrate the remote if you also use your phone. Product does exactly what its advertised to do so I give it a 5/5...I just wish the app showed if the bulbs are actually on/off and not having you wonder when your away.

The MiLight platform has some definite constraints, lights have to be on one of four groups and generally the iOS software is crap. I use this with Homebridge, a simple bit of software that, when run on a Raspberry Pi, lets you add MiLight things to Apple's HomeKit. For this reason I don't need to use the sub-par app so it's a non-issue after initial setup.I had the earlier version of this box, which seemed to lose wi-fi connection regularly (unrelated to channel interference). That problem was widely reported with the older model and many people took to soldering things in order to fix the issue. This new one has been going strong for a few weeks. I'd have had to to restart the old box at least three times by now. No doubt it's better hardware and alleviates one of the biggest problems I had with the previous box.

The media could not be loaded. The gateway works to turn the lights on and off through the Alexa added skill but it does not work for Dimming. I posted a question for the seller to help me resolve the issue their response was too confusing I couldn’t figure out where to post a video. The offering for sale on Amazon shows that the remote that I have should work for voice control with Alexa because it’s not in the list of excluded remotes.